Internships and Online Presence
Stat 365: Statistical Communication
Monday, May 20th
Today we will…
- Housekeeping
- Feedback/Revisions for Data Viz Narratives
- Office Hours this week
- Final Report Template
- Stat 150 Prompts: Note to Self
- Research & Job Opportunities in Statistics1
- Online Presence
- Build your Resume
Data Viz Narratives: Feedback & Revision Process
When working with a quantitative response – show variability! Raw data points, box plots, density plots, histograms, error bars, etc.
Accessibility – color choices, double encode, #| fig-alt: "alt text here."
Put the key take-away in the title!
- e.g., Instead of “How does childcare cost differ between infants and toddlers”, state “Childcare costs for infants is breaking the bank!”
Pay attention to the details! I am fairly picky about table and plot design, keep this in mind for your final report.
Office Hours this Week
- Today (Monday), 5/20, at 11:10 - 12pm
- Tomorrow (Tuesday), 5/21, at 2:10pm - 4pm
- No office hours Wednesday and Thursday – I will be out of town visiting family.
Stat 150 Prompt: Note to Self
Write (and/or draw) a note to your future self (to be opened in Spring quarter of your second year), addressing among other questions,
- Why did you choose Cal Poly?
- Why did you choose Statistics?
- What are your goals and hopes for your time at Cal Poly?
- Anything else…
Research at Cal Poly
- Office of Undergraduate Research
- Frost Fund
- 2017 William & Linda Frost gifted a CSU-record $110 million to BCSM including student scholarships and research stipends
- Frost Scholars
- Frost Summer Research Students
Frost Scholar
- Scholarship to support undergrads in conducting original research that is capable of publication and/or presentation
- Currently $10,000/yr for 10 hours/week (except during finals)
- Typically 2 year period starting with the student’s third year (though exceptions possible) and transfer students eligible
- Guaranteed summer research with $4500 (current) Frost Summer Undergraduate Research Award
- Dr. Schaffner will send out an email about the application late Fall or early Winter
- Reach out to Faculty you are interested in working with!
- Take time to figure out what faculty interests are
- Submit application jointly with faculty mentor by February
Frost Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)
- Professional development program for undergrads to learn and develop research skills through intensive, summer research experience and hands-on engagement
- Currently $4,500 for 8 weeks full-time summer research (~40 hours/week)
- Frost Coordinator and/or Dr. Schaffner will send out an email about the application late Winter or early Spring
- Deadline for submission is usually during Winter quarter
- A variety of projects will be put forth by a handful of faculty
- Reach out to the faculty members with interesting projects
- You will then be asked to rate your project options in your application
REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) + SIBS (Summer Institute in Biostatistics and Data Science)
What is an REU?
- A summer research program for undergraduate students funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
- An REU consists of ~10 undergrads working on a research project at a host institution.
- Each student is typically assigned to a research group and works closely with faculty and other students.
- Students receive stipends and (often) assistance with housing and travel.
- REUs typically last about 8-12 weeks during the summer.
- In addition to research, REUs typically include fun activities.
What is SIBS?
- A summer research program for undergraduate students funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- These programs are often larger than REUs (more students). SIBS programs combine classroom learning, career development, and participation in a research project.
- These research topics focus on biostatistics!
- They will also include fun activities and outings!
- Students receive stipends and (often) assistance with housing and travel.
- SIBS programs typically last about 6-7 weeks during the summer.
Finding and Applying to REUs + SIBS Programs
- Use the NSF REU website.
- Go to Mathematical Sciences and look for statistics-related projects.
- Can search by keyword: “statistics”, “data science”, etc.
- Use the SIBS website.
- You apply to each REU or SIBS program separately.
- You will find information about eligibility and applications on each site’s website.
- Start looking late Fall and early Winter!
- NOTE: Students supported with NSF or NIH funds must be US citizens or permanent residents.
- Some programs do have other funding available!
Why do an REUs or SIBS Program?
You want to…
- get research experience to see if you like it.
- see what statistics looks like outside of the classroom.
- connect with statistics nerds from around the country/world.
- get experience presenting your research at conferences.
- try living outside of CA.
What does it look like to have an internship?
There is a lot of variability in internship experiences…😄🥱🤩🙄😐
- Summer? School year? Part time? Full time?
- Move? Remote?
- Paid? Unpaid? – most in statistics should be paid!
- Goals – Project specific? Entering data?
- Is there a formal company internship program? Other interns? All statistics?
- Who is your supervisor? How often do you meet with them? Are you on a team?
- But all will give you a little more “real world” experience and insight into what you like or don’t like!
Finding internships… statistics specific
Finding internships… general job search
Why do an internship?
- It will often lead to continuous part-time work, a returning summer internship, or even a full time job offer for after graduation.
- You get to test out what a typical “9 to 5” feels like. Many companies now have flexible hours and/or remote work.
- You will likely get paid….well.
- Networking!!!
- You might end up living and working among student interns from various institutions and majors!
Reference Letter Writers
- Ask professors you feel know you well (or previous employers).
- Give them at least 2 weeks heads up.
- Provide them:
- Resume
- Link to job posting
- Any additional relevant information